diverge · Self-Reflection, Goal Setting · 20 min · 3-30 people · low energy

Step Up Your Courage: Grading Your Courage

Participants assess their current level of courage related to a specific challenge on a scale of 1 to 10, then identify small, achievable steps to reach the next level. This method promotes self-awareness and incremental progress.

When to use Step Up Your Courage: Grading Your Courage

Use this method to help participants break down overwhelming goals into manageable steps and visualize their progress.

What it solves

Feeling stuck or overwhelmed by a challenge, difficulty identifying concrete steps for improvement, lack of motivation.

How to run Step Up Your Courage: Grading Your Courage, step by step

  1. Set up a physical or virtual scale of numbers from 1 to 10 for each group. (5 mins)
  2. Individually, participants reflect on where they stand on the scale regarding their courage in the situation identified in the previous activity. (5 mins)
  3. Participants identify what they need to reach the next number on the scale, focusing on small, achievable steps. The interviewer assists with guiding questions. (10 mins)

Materials needed

  • Grade Your Courage Skills handout
  • Scale (physical or virtual)
  • Pens/Pencils

Facilitator tips

  • Encourage participants to focus on small, realistic steps.
  • Provide examples of actions that correspond to different levels on the scale.

Common pitfalls

  • Participants may be overly critical of themselves or set unrealistic goals. Remind them to focus on progress, not perfection.
  • The scale can feel arbitrary. Encourage participants to use it as a guide, not a rigid measure.

Variations

  • Use a different scale or metric to assess courage.
  • Incorporate peer feedback to provide additional perspectives.

Running it online or hybrid

Use a virtual whiteboard or polling tool to collect and visualize courage ratings.

What it produces

A personal action plan outlining specific steps to increase courage in a given situation.

Origin

Based on work by Daniëlle Takkenberg and Nienke Meulenbroeks, using 'scale walking' (Visser, 2016) — source

Build a session around Step Up Your Courage: Grading Your Courage

METODIC places Step Up Your Courage: Grading Your Courage inside a complete, timed session plan — agenda, worksheets, facilitator guide and slides — matched to your group and goal.

Generate a session with Step Up Your Courage: Grading Your Courage · Try METODIC free